Audiophiles and De-cluttering -- your journey toward both psychic and sonic improvement

Every audiophile knows that we want more signal and less noise. We seek it in our systems and our rooms. We want the power, elegance, and simplicity needed to produce immersive listening.

I'm now at the point where I want less -- fewer options, less clutter, more openness. And that means re-considering assumptions about audio.

For me, this is going to start with power cords. I simply don't hear much difference from the special cords I got and they're awkward to use. I'm thinking of beginning my de-cluttering path with them. Next, the back up equipment -- older DAC's, extra speaker cables, etc. And, most controversially, I expect to get rid of my home theater speakers in lieu of a high-performance soundbar.

Anyway, those are just my ideas.

What have YOU done to de-clutter your audio life?

What did you give up and how did it help or hurt your pursuit of audio satisfaction?

Did peace of mind make listening more enjoyable? 

For what it's worth, here's are some excerpts from a recent article on decluttering from the NYT. I found it helpful.

Ms. Yamashita and Ms. Kondo approach decluttering in different ways. In Ms. Kondo’s books and Netflix series, she offers easy-to-follow techniques for organizing, wrapped in her signature cheer and positivity. Keep items that make you happy and thank those that do not before tossing them away, she instructs.

Ms. Yamashita is more abstract, philosophical and probing — less approachable, converts of the Marie Kondo school argue. When sorting through what to keep or toss away, Ms. Yamashita pushes her clients to think about why they are attached to certain items, and to examine what overabundance and obsession do to their emotional states.

“For me, danshari is not about tidying up, organizing or tossing away things that don’t spark joy,” Ms. Yamashita said, slurping soba noodles out of sesame broth at a restaurant in Tokyo. “It is about returning people to a state in which parting with things feels natural.”

“When people’s homes and minds get clogged up with too many things, they begin to fester,” she continued. “It’s like how you eat and then release — it is a normal part of our existence.”

“Danshari is about creating an exit and getting that flow back,” she added.

From a session with a client:

“You’re noticing there are too many things out in the open, but we need to probe deeper into the fact that you have so much stuff,” Ms. Yamashita said midway through their cleaning.

“I think my mind is cluttered,” Ms. Kojima replied, from work and elsewhere. “I have so many things constantly being jammed into my head,” she said.

Ms. Yamashita pressed: “Obviously, no one can see inside your head, but it’s visible, in this space.” She then gestured at the living room. “Can you see how the challenges you’re dealing with in your head are physically manifested here?” she asked.

“I think the problem is that I can’t even recognize when there’s too much,” Ms. Kojima said.

SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/business/hideko-yamashita-decluttering-danshari.html